Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Sorry this is long, but these guys were a significant investment for me. I want to do this right and give them the best care I can provide.

I have one M 8wks OOP and one F 9wks OOP.

The guide I have, as well as the seller, informed me to keep them in their own bonding pouches from 1-4hrs a day. I also learned that I should palm them several times a day for short intervals to get them used to being handled and get them familiar with my scent.

The male is amazing and even though he crabs and nips just once before handled, after he is in my hands he's calm, inquisitive and incredible to work with. I can tell he will be forgiving of my newcomer errors. He sniffs around and climbs my arms, almost seeming to learn me rather than escape.

The female will let me pet her and rub her in the cage without problem. If I attempt to handle her though, she crabs continuously and makes every attempt to escape, including a continuous nipping that is even uncomfortable to me. I can tell she needs more TLC than my male and I would like to know what any of you suggest.

My plan for her is to keep her in the bond pouch on a daily basis, hopefully for periods up to an hour. At the same time I think that I will handle her with a small soft cloth that will be comforting to her and less painful for me with each bite. (Her bites are significantly harder than my males -> his are painless). How much time should I try and spend with her and should I make more of an attempt to bond during her sleeping hours or during her wake time?

Thank you so much for the assistance. By helping me you are actually helping a pair of gliders too...

The first thing you have to do is handle them each one at a time, A LOT! Then you have to bond with them. When you hanlde them, that will help the bonding process. The only way for them to tame down is if you handle them a lot. You cant just throw them the bonding pouch and expect them to ond, YOU HAVE TO HANDLE THEM A LOT! When they are used to being handled that is when they are going to calm down.
I have a male sugar glider and when I first got him, all I did all day, was handle him. Now he is he tamest sugar glider in the world! My female on the other hand, hasnt got as much handling and attention as a baby and she is a little more crabby and not as tame as the male. Just a story from myself.
If you need any more info, IM me with AOL Instant messanger @ drewman1990x, I'm there for the help.